The Good Life: Hollow Victories (ch. 134) (Patreon)

“What was it all for?” Caitlyn breathed, standing inside the Council chambers. The sky overhead still rolled with dark clouds and the promise of a storm but the dragon that lurked in the sky above was nowhere to be seen. She gazed out into the city -- her home, the city that she was charged with safeguarding and leading. 

She didn't recognize it. There was nothing left of the Piltover she remembered. Just broken buildings, broken streets, and blood that flowed like rivers. The only places that managed to go relatively unscathed were the university, and the Hexgate. Though both were spared by mere back streets and narrow roads. Their defenses had been pushed to the brink, the very last line they had left. 

Then the pressure vanished with the arrival of two monsters. Monsters that had chased away the threat that nearly overwhelmed them. 

The Noxian withdrawal had been messy but fast. After everyone woke up from whatever knocked them out -- many of her Enforcers included -- the Noxian army saw the writing on the wall. They fled. Simply abandoning their positions and running for the hills in a mass route. It was probably better that way as an organized withdrawal would have seen them slaughtered en masse by that monster Sukuna. As much as Caitlyn hated Noxus, she hated him a great deal more. 

“To buy time,” Cinder said, stepping to her side and intertwining her fingers with Caitlyn's. “We needed to buy time.” We. That word was doing no small amount of heavy lifting. Cinder was trying to share the burden that weighed so heavily on her shoulders, and Caitlyn didn't know if she should be grateful, stop her because she loved Cinder, or blame her for putting her in the position in the first place by making her High Councilor. 

A small hollow laugh escaped Caitlyn before she could swallow it down. “It's not an accident they arrived when they did. We were breaking. An hour more- less, probably, and Swain would have taken the Hexgate. He would have taken Piltover. They arrived in the nick of time, Cinder. That can only be deliberate." 

Cinder squeezed her hand reassuringly. “They wish to negotiate from a position of strength.” 

“Well, they managed that,” Caitlyn sighed, her gaze lingering on the ruins of what was the City of the Future. She didn't imagine that rebuilding it would be easy. She likely wouldn't see it restored within her lifetime, if it ever was. The one thing the city still had going for it was the Hexgate, but that invasion pushed them to the absolute brink. They had nothing left in reserve. 

What would happen if Noxus sent a second army? What if the creatures that helped them at their darkest hour demanded a price they weren't willing to pay in exchange for their help? 

Those thoughts kept her up at night. Caitlyn doubted she would ever have a good night's sleep for the rest of her life.

The chamber doors' opening gave her the strength to tear her gaze away. What was left of the Council entered -- Law and Salo. Law stepped forward with an easy confidence, undimmed by their present circumstances. Salo looked like gravity was working three times as hard on him, his face bloodless.

“Not exactly how I thought the war would end,” Law remarked, kicking his feet up on the great cog table. Caitlyn didn't even have it in her to admonish him. She wasn't even sure if she could afford to. 

The only reason they held out as long as they did was because of his technology. That, and the… moral compromises Caitlyn made with their enhanced soldiers. If they had a chance of rebuilding before another saw easy prey, then Caitlyn would need him and his expertise. 

“They will arrive shortly,” Caitlyn said, swallowing a sigh and taking a seat in the beautiful chair carved for her to denote her position. It seemed so superficial. Ill timed, given that she led a ruin and broken people. It felt like a slap in the face when she saw it, but she sat all the same. “I expect with demands.” 

“It seems we will trade one boot for another,” Law agreed with a shrug in his voice. Her eyes narrowed, and now he shrugged openly. “The evil that you know isn't always better than the evil you don't. They went to the effort to save the day. We know they have some intentions towards us because they did so, and they saved me.” 

“He is also meeting you,” Cinder supported by her side. “If he wasn't willing to work with us, then he could have simply waited until we fell to Noxus, then come to the city as liberators.” All fair points, Caitlyn could admit. There was a path forward, but she couldn't see what the destination would be. She just doubted that it would be a restoration to what Piltover was. 

“Nothing is free,” Caitlyn replied, clenching her jaw. It was just a question how much their salvation had cost. 

It wasn't long after that the doors to the Council Chambers opened once more, letting her see Piltover's apparent savior. Her mind conjured thousands of possibilities with the snippets of information they had about him, which was mostly just a name. 

Heartless. 

But, to her surprise, Heartless seemed almost… normal. Tall. Well built. His face was obscured by a mask, but it ended at his hairline, revealing short black hair. He stood at the forefront of the delegation, and if he hadn't, Caitlyn might have genuinely disregarded him. 

On his left was a familiar face, one that made Caitlyn's stomach churn. Ambessa Medarda. She stood proud, a smug little smirk on her face that Caitlyn wanted to punch off. Half of the reason why they were so desperate was that she quit the field. She took her personal army, withdrew to her villa, and waited for the dust to settle before she would attack the weakened victor. 

However, Ambessa was secondary to the woman who walked on Heartless’ right. She was tall, well over six feet, seemingly in her late teens to early twenties, with long flowing wavy black hair. She wasn't so much beautiful as striking. Something emboldened by the fact that she wore a skin-tight outfit that looked like it was painted on her. 

Something the two naked women on their hands and knees could do with, led by the woman with a collar around their necks. 

For a split second, Caitlyn was rendered completely speechless as the three entered the room. Everything she planned to say went right out of her ears because… because what the fuck? That was insane. As in she was actually crazy. 

“High Councilor Caitlyn Kiramman,” Heartless greeted her, a faint warble in his voice to disguise it. “How nice it is to finally meet you. I've heard nothing but good things -- from your allies and your enemies. I cannot tell you how rare that is.” 

Caitlyn swallowed the lump in her throat. From the corner of her eye, Caitlyn saw Cinder bristle at the sight of the insane woman. The woman seemed to pick up on that, as she stared dispassionately at Cinder in turn. Forcing herself to speak, she lifted her chin with defiance that she didn't feel. “Heartless, I presume?” 

“That's me,” Heartless said with a chuckle, taking a seat directly opposite of her. “You've already met Ambessa on my left. And on my right-” 

“Skitter,” Skitter interjected. A fake name, just like Heartless? 

“... aw. I liked Antagonizer,” Heartless remarked playfully, earning a dull look from Skitter that could best translate to, ‘You're lucky I like you.’ 

“Forgive my reservations, but you don’t exactly keep auspicious company, Heartless. Sukuna the Cannibal, now Skitter…” Caitlyn observed, clenching her jaw. “I was under the impression that Asami was the aggressor between you.” 

“Oh, she was,” Heartless returned, his voice scrambled but he sounded amused. “However, I'm afraid that between the two of us… it's more of a choice between bad and worse. I'll let you decide which is which.” The information changed things. She had been under the belief that Sukuna had worked for Asami, or whoever pulled her strings. Learning that he worked for Heartless… 

Was more surprising than it should be given that his name was Heartless. 

“I suppose that brings us to the topic at hand,” Caitlyn recovered as well as she could. “We are, of course, grateful for your assistance. However, now we are quite concerned about what the price tag shall be.” Mother would frown at how direct she was being, but just being in the same room as these people made her feel unclean. 

Heartless tilted his head, almost as if he were thinking about it. “In a word? Nothing.” 

That was the very worst answer he could have given. If he said something like money, or for her to strip naked and crawl on the floor like the two women on leashes -- that, she would be able to handle. She could brace herself, grit her teeth, swallow her pride and do what needed to be done even if she hated every millisecond of it. There really was nothing more terrifying than the unknown. 

Nothing wasn't an answer she could prepare for. 

“But,” Heartless continued, as if reading her thoughts, “I do have an opportunity for you.” An offer that they couldn’t refuse, if Caitlyn understood right. “Ambessa here will conquer Noxus on my behalf. Skitter will conquer Ionia. That is going to have… let's say, ramifications for you and Piltover.” 

That sounded like a threat. She sat silent, bracing herself against every word. 

“In my empire, I have a nobility system and I encourage upwards mobility. Skitter here is a Marquis. A title indicating that she has at least the territory of a continent under her control but less than an entire world.” Caitlyn swallowed a lump in her throat, her gaze shifting to Marquis Skitter. If the little that she saw was any indication, her territory had to be a place of pure hell. “And once Ambessa finishes conquering Noxus, she shall be a Count. But that does raise a question, doesn't it?” 

It raised more than one. Several dozen, really. 

“What happens when Skitter becomes a Duke?” Heartless continued, though no one had asked. “She's already in the process of cleaning up the last bastions of her world. Ionia will fall all the same. What happens to dear Ambessa? Does she fall under Dutchess Skitter's domain? What happens when Ambessa goes out and conquers a world all on her own, elevating her to the same rank?" 

“What happens?" Caitlyn asked sharply, and the very last thing that she expected was for Heartless to shrug dismissively. 

“I have no clue! Maybe they'll talk it out. Or maybe they'll fight it out. Or, just maybe, degrees of control could be expressed through the percentage of the landmass they control of the planet in question.” There was an infuriating laugh in Heartless’ voice that she wanted to punch off his face. 

He danced around it, but he practically confirmed that he wouldn't lift a finger on their behalf if Ambessa decided to pounce while they were weak. 

“Or?” Caitlyn bit the word out, hating that he was making her ask. 

“Or you could accept falling under my domain.” There it was. “Your city will be your city. Rule it however you want. Just know, those that aren't strong enough to keep what they have don't have any right to it.” 

She understood the implication instantly. Piltover could submit to Heartless, but it didn't come with any inherit protections. Ambessa or Skitter would be able to conquer her city, oust her from power, and turn her home into whatever their twisted vision was for it. Meaning that if she was going to protect Piltover, she would need not only to rebuild it, but turn Piltover into an unassailable bastion so they couldn't take it. Even with the full resources of planets at their disposal. 

That felt impossible. Especially in their current state. All the more so when she saw first hand the monsters they had at their disposal. 

‘Noxus and Ionia.’ There was little doubt in her mind that both would fall. But both territories were to the North. The south… Shurima. 

The thought felt insane. Something she would never consider in a million years. Given their current state, it was outright impossible to boot. Their city was a ruin. Half of their Enforcers were dead, the other half was wounded. They couldn't conquer a continent. It was just if they did… it would put them on the same level as Ambessa and Skitter. Give them resources that would make fighting back a possibility. Because right now, they didn't have a hope or a prayer. 

“You don't make it sound too appealing,” Caitlyn noted, looking for… something. An angle. Something that she could use to thread the needle -- strong enough to protect themselves, but still maintaining their cultural identity. Who they were. 

“You strike me as a bad news first kind of woman.” It was annoying that he was right. “Bending the knee means you get access to our resources. Not for free, of course.”

Heartless seemed to have anticipated the question because he snapped his fingers. Caitlyn restrained a flinch, but Salo didn't when three monsters appeared behind Heartless and his attendants. 

One was an eight foot tall man with a green hide. Humanoid, but distorted to the point it felt like a parody. He was clad in heavy armor… and a laser minigun rested in his hands. She resisted the urge to shoot a murderous glare at Law, knowing it wouldn't do any good, but the moment they were out of sight… 

The other was an insect. Caitlyn couldn't place the type, only that it had four blade like hands and mandible that had more in common with a chainsaw than not. It was smaller, but only just, at seven feet tall.

The last was a machine. Four legs, a squat torso with a flat head without a neck. In place of arms, it had miniguns with rocket mounts on the shoulders. 

That, Caitlyn imagined, was how they would conquer Noxus and Ionia. 

“Since I like the look of you -- you can have an army on retainer. Fifteen thousand strong of the type of your choice.” That sounded like a trap. It was just a question of what kind. Robots obeyed whoever had the right code. Insects were animals. The green creature… Caitlyn couldn't say she liked how he was looking at her. Or the naked woman kneeling on the floor, now absentmindedly clutching at Skitter's legs. “I also believe Skitter here has an offer?” 

“I can rebuild your city by the end of the month,” Skitter stated. Despite how utterly absurd the statement was, Caitlyn believed her. A month. A month, and Piltover could be what it was, even if so many of its people were gone. It would turn recovery from a dream to a reality. 

Caitlyn hated how much she wanted it. “For what?” Though she already suspected the answer. 

“The Hexgate,” Skitter answered. Ambessa narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, telling Caitlyn that wasn’t a welcome development. That was a prize she had hoped for herself. “The designs to create them, as well as priority access to the one you have already built. 

Her knee-jerk reaction was to refuse. All of it. 

The system Heartless described might as well be Noxus on a greater scale. It was a system of governance designed from the bottom up to encourage aggressive expansion and internal conflict. Despite all of her intentions and everything she fought for, Caitlyn would be bending the knee to another Noxus. 

The Hexgate… that was all they had left. It was their one hope of recovery. Despite all the trouble the Hexgate brought to their door, it made them the center of trade for the entire world. That would give them the funds to recover. It would bring people to their city in the hopes they could share in the prosperity. It…

It didn’t matter because they couldn’t protect themselves. If she refused, then either Skitter or Ambessa would finish what Noxus started. They couldn’t protect the Hexgate technology either. It was just a question of trading it for a swift recovery, or having it be stolen from them at some point down the line. 

Caitlyn wanted to say no. She wanted to scream her denials until she was blue in the face. She wanted to pick up a gun, put a bullet in Heartless’s head, then Ambessa’s, then Skitter’s. Damn the consequences. 

She couldn’t. Caitlyn knew that even before Cinder’s hand found hers beneath the table, offering the strength that she could to do  what needed to be done. 

Swallowing her pride, her outrage, and her rage, Caitlyn gave her answer. “We… accept,” Caitlyn uttered the words that tasted of defeat. “Piltover accepts. We will join your empire willingly. How will the reconstruction be done?” She swallowed the taste down, directing the words to Skitter. 

The insane woman had a calculating glimmer in her eyes, as if Caitlyn suddenly became of interest to her. Had she expected her to refuse? “My insects can consume the rubble of Piltover and rebuild it according to whatever blueprints you provide.”

They couldn’t go back to the old designs of Piltover. Not after an incredibly painful lesson in how Piltover fared in a conventional invasion. From the ground up, Piltover would need to be redesigned. To be turned into a fortress that couldn’t be overcome. The people of Piltover would need to be reformed -- the Enforcers, as much as she loved them, were not an army and she couldn’t trust any force given to her by Heartless.  

There needed to be mandatory military training, even if it was just basic. Clans that abandoned the city in its time of need would be replaced with those who knew of duty and sacrifice. 

It wasn’t what she wanted. But it was what Piltover needed. 

“They will be provided. As shall the blueprints for the Hexgates,” Caitlyn decided, accepting the price. In the mean time, she could prepare for Piltover’s future. Ambessa and Skitter would focus on Noxus and Ionia. That gave her a window of time. A window to prepare for the battles that would come. 

Her gaze settled back on Heartless, “And we’ll take the green ones as our army.” What manner of creature they were remained a question, but she could at least trust them more than the insects Skitter could control or the machines that obeyed anyone with the right password. 

Heartless laughed. It was almost enough to make her change her choice. 

“That,” he said between chuckles, “is what I hoped you would say.”